A Tasmanian pig-farming family has stepped in to save one of the state’s oldest post offices from shutting its doors.
The Russell family, who run Primal Pastures pig farm at Tower Hill, will soon take over the Fingal Post Office, with Maria and Michael Kinzie coming on board as the new licensees.
William Russell said his family was “delighted to be keeping this essential town and valley service going” and had “exciting plans to make even more use” of the heritage building.
The lifeline follows a spirited campaign by the STAMP action group, which saw locals turn out in what has been called the valley’s longest-ever queue.
“We’d hit a few snags and the post office looked like it was going to get the chop. The Russells have really saved our bacon,” said STAMP member Hamish Thompson.
“The announcement of the intended closure was a jab in the ribs, but our crackling campaign and the single-rinded determination of the entire valley community have paid off.”
Australia Post confirmed the new licensees would take charge of the Talbot Street branch from mid-September.
They said a wide search had been carried out to find the right operators.
“Along with providing a full range of postal services, Maria and her team will stock a range of farm-to-table products,” an Australia Post spokesperson told Pulse.
“Australia Post would also like to acknowledge the many parties who made a submission as part of the recent expression of interest process and thank our Australia Post team members who have maintained interim staffing at Fingal over the past several months.”
Thompson also praised Australia Post workers for keeping the post office open in recent months.
“They’ve had to endure long commutes and the whole valley community are grateful for their hard work, dedication and good humour throughout the process,” he said.
